Telehealth is a HIPAA-compliant service that allows the client and clinician to meet online for a session. This can be convenient for clients because it allows for you to attend the appointment from the comfort of your home/office/man cave/she shed and may allow for more flexibility in the timing of the appointments or to keep the appointment even when the weather is poor!

You can make an appointment in a few different ways.

• You can fill out the appointment request form on the website and a clinician will reach out to you with your preferred method of contact (phone call, text, e-mail). Click Here
• You can e-mail us directly at lburke@authenticpathwellness.com
• You can text us at (203) 403-7178

Most people would benefit from therapy! One of the more common myths of therapy is that you must have a severe mental illness to receive therapy. Most of the people who attend therapy consistently are your friends, colleagues, neighbors-productive, well-intentioned individuals. Most of us tend to operate at 70-80% of our capacity and therapy will often bring up your overall functioning say an additional 10-15%, allowing for that extra oomph to cope with some of the challenges that come our way in life.

That may be the case, as I mentioned above, most people would benefit from therapy. However, we cannot force anyone else to seek out support when they aren’t ready. So what do you do if there needs to be a change? You become the change! One of the reasons I was drawn to Marriage and Family Therapy is because it’s all about relationships. Change occurs even with one person behaving differently. So if you really believe that someone in your life would also benefit from therapy, you can be a part of that change by learning new strategies and ways to communicate or set boundaries.

Marriage and Family Therapy (MFT) is the model in which therapy is practiced. There are a variety of different models, all serve the purpose- to help people improve their quality of life. The difference is in the approach to therapy. MFT is based on the philosophy that our relationships impact our functioning in all manner of life. Often, how we relate to others also reveals how we relate to ourselves. MFT is grounded in the principle that we don’t need to know WHY we’re depressed or anxious to change if- we simply change our behaviors and communication strategies to reduce the symptoms.

So you’ve decided to check out therapy and made an appointment, but what happens next? The first appointment is an opportunity to address some of your questions and concerns about therapy and allows for the therapist to gather a bit more information as to how to help support the client in their goals. There’s usually some paperwork that needs to be filled out and reviewed. That first appointment, in general, people find goes by pretty quickly because the conversation is a bit more directed by the clinician to make sure the necessary information is gathered.

Nope! It’s not uncommon for people to hear Marriage and Family Therapy and believe that therapy must include other people in their lives. In reality, therapy CAN include additional people such as significant others, kids, or parents but it’s not required. MFT is about the model of treatment, not a requirement for you to participate in therapy.

Yep!! LMFT’s will see individuals, couples, siblings, and families in just about any

combination.

Payment is collected in a couple of different ways. If a client chooses to use their insurance, that information will be provided to the clinician before the first appointment to verify the benefits and find out what the client’s co-pay or deductible would be at the time of service. That payment will be collected from the client with a credit card on file.

People also have the option of paying out-of-pocket. The client chooses to do this for a few reasons.

1) They don’t want the insurance company involved/aware/paying for the service.

2) The service is not covered by their insurance.

3) The insurance is out-of-network and then the client submits the payments themselves to their insurance company for reimbursement.

Several questions would be helpful to ask to ensure the necessary information is provided to use your out-of-network benefits including:

• What is my out-of-network benefit for outpatient mental health? 
• Is a pre-authorization for services required?
• How many sessions do I get under this benefit?
• Is Laura Burke, LMFT an acceptable provider for this benefit?
• (contact me if they need my ID number or NPI).
• What is the deductible?
• What is the policy year (i.e. calendar year, fiscal year, the anniversary date of benefits)?
• How much of the deductible has been met this year to date?
• What, if any, the copay is due once the deductible has been met? 
• To what address should the bills be sent? 
• Will the company reimburse me or the provider once the deductible has been met?

A therapeutic hour is between 50-55 minutes long.

The frequency of appointments depends on a variety of factors including the severity of symptoms, goals of treatment, and schedule availability. I encourage people to meet weekly for the first month or so to establish and develop the relationship and ensure that both client and clinician feel comfortable and have a clear understanding of the client’s goals.

We understand that emergencies come up and schedules get re-arranged. However, the clinician has reserved that time to meet with you, which means that the appointment time is not available for someone else. We ask that if you need to cancel, you give at least 24 hours' notice. Otherwise, the late cancellation fee is $100.

No. I am not a trained psychiatrist- which is a doctor who specializes in psychiatric medications and medication management. If I believe you will benefit from medication or a client wants to discuss medication as additional support to treatment, we can explore the topic further. However, no provider, clinician, or psychiatrist can force you to take medication or tell you that you must take the medication in an outpatient setting.

What we talk about is protected by the limits of confidentiality. Unless there is a signed Release of Authorization by the client, information is not disclosed about being a client. There are limits to confidentiality, and those extenuating circumstances are reviewed during the first session.

For Therapy: $100 cancellation fee for less than 24-hour notice.

Authentic Path Wellness is located in Fairfield, Connecticut.

Business hours are by appointment only.

Laura is a Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in Connecticut. 

Authentic Path Wellness offers therapy services in Connecticut and coaching services throughout the United States.

Telehealth uses an online platform, such as Zoom, to allow the client and coach to meet

online. This allows me to work with clients all over the USA. It’s also convenient for

clients because it allows for you to attend the call from the comfort of your

home/office/man cave/she shed and may allow for more flexibility in timing or to keep

the appointment even when the weather is poor!

The most notable is that a clinician diagnose and treat mental health, while coaches are

not.

Coaches do not need the same types of accreditations to provide coaching services that

clinicians required to practice therapy.

Clients are also often able to use insurance to pay for therapy services, however, as of

now, coaching services are not covered by insurance and are an out-of pocket expense.

You can make an appointment a few different ways:

• You can fill out the appointment request form on the website and a clinician will reach out to you with your preferred method of contact (Phone call, text, e-mail) to set up an initial consultation. Click Here
• You can e-mail us directly at lburke@authenticpathwellness.com
• You can purchase a coaching package and we will reach out to you to schedule your Discovery Call!

That may be the case, as I mentioned above, most people would benefit from therapy. However, we cannot force anyone else to seek out support when they aren’t ready. So what do you do if there needs to be a change? You become the change! One of the reasons I was drawn to Marriage and Family Therapy is because it’s all about relationships. Change occurs even with one person behaving differently. So if you really believe that someone in your life would also benefit from therapy, you can be a part of that change by learning new strategies and ways to communicate or set boundaries.

Payment for coaching is collected based on the package chosen. Clients can pay for their

package in full at the time of purchase through a credit card or Venmo. If a client would

prefer to pay for services in installments, the client will work closely with the coach to

determine payment arrangements that fit the client’s needs.

The initial Discovery Call is 90 minutes long. Each additional coaching call is 60 minutes

long.

Depending on the package selected, a client receives a specific number of calls they can

use at their discretion. The calls break down to two calls a month, although a client may

“borrow” calls from other months depending on need.

We understand that emergencies come up and schedules get re-arranged. However, the

coach has reserved that time to meet with you, which means that appointment time is

not available for someone else. We ask that if you need to cancel, you give at least 24

hours’ notice to reschedule. Otherwise, the client’s scheduled call is forfeited.

There is no late cancellation fee. However, if a client cancels within 24 hours, the

coaching call that was scheduled may be forfeited.

Authentic Path Wellness offers a 10% referral discount for coaching services.